Repton School and Repton Prep: Training Exceptional Swimmers

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(Newswire.net — June 22, 2023) — Repton School is well known for its impressive swimming provisions. Located in Derbyshire, the School’s enviable facilities and experienced coaching staff make Repton’s swimming program among the best in the county.

With such exceptional swimming facilities on offer, the world swimming champion Adam Peaty OBE trained at Repton for four years before winning gold at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The School welcomed him back in November 2019 to open its redeveloped sports center.

In 2019, Repton also launched a performance training group that operates out of the sports center. Repton Swimming Club offers coaching of an international standard and trains young swimmers from Repton and beyond.

Here’s an overview of the swimming provisions on offer at Repton School and Repton Prep, which combined to become a through-school in 2020.

Swimming Excellence at Repton School

Swimming is a focus sport at Repton School, which offers swimming sessions to all pupils throughout the week. Reptonians train and compete in the School’s indoor, 25m, 6-lane pool. With a spectator area and new racing blocks, the pool is ideal for ambitious young swimmers to train.

On top of this, Repton’s most promising swimmers have access to a custom strength and conditioning gym in the School’s sports clinic. Specialist strength and conditioning coaches work with gifted pupils twice a week. During these sessions, the coaches support the pupils’ pool training, aiding physical progress and rehabilitation.

One such pupil is swimmer Daniel K, a Repton academic and sports scholar. Daniel is a Northern Irish national junior record holder and a British Olympic trials qualifier. He is one of several passionate and talented young athletes pursuing their education and sporting dreams at Repton.

Swimming Confidence at Repton Prep

Pupils from Repton Prep, Repton’s junior school, can also take part in swimming classes. Repton Prep’s goal is to teach every child who joins in Pre-Prep to swim confidently by the end of Year 2. 

Like Repton School, Repton Prep also houses a 25m indoor pool. As a result, pupils of all ages have plenty of opportunities for swimming lessons and practice.

Repton School’s Learn2Swim Programme

Repton makes it possible for children to become confident in the water and learn to swim at a young age. Starting from three years old, children can take part in the Learn2Swim program at Repton’s sports center. The program offers small group sizes, level 2 swim coaches, and an individual web portal for parents to track progression.

Once Learn2Swim participants reach the program’s top stages, they can choose to join Repton Swimming’s Junior Academy. As they transition into the club structure, young swimmers can further progress their skills.

Repton Swimming Club

Avid young swimmers from Repton School, Repton Prep, and the local community hone their talents as members of Repton Swimming Club. The premier, SwimMark-accredited program offers coaching of international quality and access to regional and national club meets.

Repton Swimming Club is also Swim England-affiliated. Teams represent Repton at schools’ competitions and in the Swim England competition framework. Since becoming affiliated in 2020, Repton Swimming Club has made a significant impact at the national level. 

The club produced its first British Champions in 2022: Hannah B and Laurie D qualified to join Team GB at the 2023 European Junior Swimming Championships, competing in the Breaststroke and Freestyle events, respectively.

Repton School’s Director of Swimming Ash Morris

Experienced swimming coach Ash Morris became Repton’s new director of swimming in November 2022. Morris has trained prominent swimmers and medallists, coaching over 30 athletes to selection for international junior and senior teams. He has also helped many swimmers obtain scholarships at top universities worldwide.

For more than a decade, Morris was the head coach at Hamilton Aquatics in Dubai and the club’s director of swimming. Under his guidance, Hamilton Aquatics became the top swimming club in the Middle East.

Morris also spent nine years coaching and mentoring Lewis Burras, a GB swimmer, and Commonwealth medallist. He now oversees Repton’s talented team of swimming coaches, who help pupils realize their potential in the pool.

In addition, the new director of swimming will help Repton Swimming Club develop its long-term strategy and build on recent successes. Other members of the club’s staff supporting this vision include:

  • Club Chair Ian Pollock.
  • Performance Coach Craig Prime.
  • Junior Performance Coach Marija Millere.
  • Graduate Assistant Coach Marcus Birmingham.
  • Academy and Learn2Swim Coordinator Ann Morris.

Repton School’s Sports Programmes

Repton’s exceptional sports programs accommodate pupils across the spectrum of athletic potential. More than 80% of Repton pupils represent the School in at least one sport, and all Reptonians take part in sports at least three times a week.

For many young people studying at Repton, sports represent vital opportunities to build skills around teamwork, leadership, and resilience. Sports lessons and competitions are also a great way for Reptonians to let off steam, get active, and cultivate a sense of individual and collective achievement.

For some talented individuals, Repton’s sports programs support their goals of competing professionally at the highest levels.

Learn more about sports at Repton School.

About Repton School

Founded in 1557, Repton School is one of the UK’s leading co-educational day and boarding schools. The School’s comprehensive curriculum emphasizes athletic and creative endeavors without sacrificing academic achievement.

Set in the heart of the Derbyshire countryside, the award-winning School blends rich history and traditional values with contemporary aspirations and perspectives. As a result, a Repton education helps each pupil grow into a well-rounded young person. Reptonians leave School equipped to achieve individual success in the modern world.

Repton has a notable sporting legacy. Its state-of-the-art sports center and facilities have helped the School foster a culture of sporting excellence. The School also has a renowned team of coaches and instructors. Amongst Repton’s coaches are former professional footballer Ian Clarkson and two-time badminton Olympian Donna Kellogg.

As a through-school, Repton provides a seamless transition from prep school to secondary school and sixth form. A focus on proactive Pastoral care ensures that pupils feel secure, supported, and appreciated. Meanwhile, Repton’s House system fosters a strong sense of community amongst boarding and day pupils and staff.